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February 18, 2010, a Thursday
near Sedona, Arizona, to near Joshua Tree National Park, California, USA
— Moved on down the road and then some more
I had my normal breakfast then started to prepare the RV to move. I did some computer work. We left around 9:25 with me in the RV and J following in the Jeep. We stopped at a nearby location to hook up the Jeep to tow, then got underway at 9:42.
We headed south on AZ-89A to Cottonwood, then took AZ-260 over to I-17.
We stopped at the McDonald's at I-17 at 10:11 so J could get a Breakfast Burrito to go. We got underway at 10:16.
We went by the exit for AZ-69 at 10:47. I wonder how many college students have stolen signs for AZ-69?
We reached the parking lot for the McDonald's in Glendale, a suburb northwest of Phoenix, at 11:44 so J could use their free WiFi network to download an update for her iPhone. After she got started with the download, we went into the nearby Fry's Food & Drug to grocery shop.
I returned to the RV around 12:05 after getting the things that I like to pick out (apples, bananas, and deli items), and J kept shopping. She prefers to wander the aisles leisurely, going up and down each one so she doesn't miss anything. I prefer to do targeted shopping (hit what you're after and leave), so J appreciates it when I leave early like that so I don't push her along.
I made lunch and went online to start downloading an episode of Car Talk — the connection was very slow! :( It would take about an hour to download! I finished a blog entry, then did some computer work. J returned to the RV around 1:15 and cancelled her update download because it would take 5 more hours! We left at 1:43.
We went to RV Master Techs in Goodyear, a suburb west of Phoenix, at 2:15 to get an oil change. It was an expensive oil change, but the service technician was very helpful. We brought our own oil and filter as usual, and he pointed out that we didn't quite bring enough oil. We had always put in 6 quarts (5.7l), but the specs call for 6.7 quarts (6.3l). Then after he drained the oil, he showed me that there had only been about 4 quarts (3.8l) in the engine. He also explained that the Ford V10 engines start to use oil after about 100,000 miles (we're at 106,000 miles), and that we should keep a closer eye on it. We left around 3:15, and ...
Went to a nearby Circle K gas station to fill up the RV and Jeep at $2.599/gal. We left at 3:40 and headed west on I-10.
We stopped at the Love's Travel Stop in Buckeye at 4:02 to dump and take on fresh water. We left at 4:35, and ...
Went to the nearby Leaf Verde RV Resort at 4:40 to get propane. We got underway again at 5:00.
I listened to an episode of Car Talk.
We stopped at the McDonald's in Quartzsite at 6:45 to borrow their free WiFi, but we couldn't connect. We tried a hotel in town, and they didn't have any WiFi either, so we returned to McDonald's at 7:02 to have dinner in their parking lot of leftover meat loaf and potatoes au gratin. We got underway again at 7:25.
We entered California at 6:45 (7:45 MST) and had to stop for an inspection. The agent asked where we had come from, and it took me a while to come up with "We were in Sedona this morning."
We went to the Super 8 in Blythe at 6:55 to use their free WiFi, and ended up using the WiFi from the Holiday Inn Express next door. The connection was faster than at the McDonald's in Glendale, but after a few minutes J's connection got dropped and her download failed. We called my mother to wish her a happy birthday. I unhooked the Jeep so we could turn around in the parking lot, then hooked it up again to tow. J discovered that there isn't a WalMart in Blythe, which is where we had planned to spend the night, and she said the nearest boondocking spot she could find was near Indio! We got underway at 8:06.
We got off I-10 at Exit 168, the Cottonwood entrance to Joshua Tree National Park.
We pulled into a boondocking spot on some BLM land at 9:32, and we crashed — it was 10:32 (MST) as far as our bodies were concerned.
We headed south on AZ-89A to Cottonwood, then took AZ-260 over to I-17.
We stopped at the McDonald's at I-17 at 10:11 so J could get a Breakfast Burrito to go. We got underway at 10:16.
We went by the exit for AZ-69 at 10:47. I wonder how many college students have stolen signs for AZ-69?
We reached the parking lot for the McDonald's in Glendale, a suburb northwest of Phoenix, at 11:44 so J could use their free WiFi network to download an update for her iPhone. After she got started with the download, we went into the nearby Fry's Food & Drug to grocery shop.
I returned to the RV around 12:05 after getting the things that I like to pick out (apples, bananas, and deli items), and J kept shopping. She prefers to wander the aisles leisurely, going up and down each one so she doesn't miss anything. I prefer to do targeted shopping (hit what you're after and leave), so J appreciates it when I leave early like that so I don't push her along.
I made lunch and went online to start downloading an episode of Car Talk — the connection was very slow! :( It would take about an hour to download! I finished a blog entry, then did some computer work. J returned to the RV around 1:15 and cancelled her update download because it would take 5 more hours! We left at 1:43.
We went to RV Master Techs in Goodyear, a suburb west of Phoenix, at 2:15 to get an oil change. It was an expensive oil change, but the service technician was very helpful. We brought our own oil and filter as usual, and he pointed out that we didn't quite bring enough oil. We had always put in 6 quarts (5.7l), but the specs call for 6.7 quarts (6.3l). Then after he drained the oil, he showed me that there had only been about 4 quarts (3.8l) in the engine. He also explained that the Ford V10 engines start to use oil after about 100,000 miles (we're at 106,000 miles), and that we should keep a closer eye on it. We left around 3:15, and ...
Went to a nearby Circle K gas station to fill up the RV and Jeep at $2.599/gal. We left at 3:40 and headed west on I-10.
We stopped at the Love's Travel Stop in Buckeye at 4:02 to dump and take on fresh water. We left at 4:35, and ...
Went to the nearby Leaf Verde RV Resort at 4:40 to get propane. We got underway again at 5:00.
I listened to an episode of Car Talk.
We stopped at the McDonald's in Quartzsite at 6:45 to borrow their free WiFi, but we couldn't connect. We tried a hotel in town, and they didn't have any WiFi either, so we returned to McDonald's at 7:02 to have dinner in their parking lot of leftover meat loaf and potatoes au gratin. We got underway again at 7:25.
We entered California at 6:45 (7:45 MST) and had to stop for an inspection. The agent asked where we had come from, and it took me a while to come up with "We were in Sedona this morning."
We went to the Super 8 in Blythe at 6:55 to use their free WiFi, and ended up using the WiFi from the Holiday Inn Express next door. The connection was faster than at the McDonald's in Glendale, but after a few minutes J's connection got dropped and her download failed. We called my mother to wish her a happy birthday. I unhooked the Jeep so we could turn around in the parking lot, then hooked it up again to tow. J discovered that there isn't a WalMart in Blythe, which is where we had planned to spend the night, and she said the nearest boondocking spot she could find was near Indio! We got underway at 8:06.
We got off I-10 at Exit 168, the Cottonwood entrance to Joshua Tree National Park.
We pulled into a boondocking spot on some BLM land at 9:32, and we crashed — it was 10:32 (MST) as far as our bodies were concerned.